Red Hot

HOT COLLEGE COACHES 2000
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Every year around the time families begin to think of gathering for Thanksgiving, some unfortunate athletic directors begin to ponder a much less joyous occasion ... hiring a new football coach. Needless to say this is very seldom a time for celebration. It does not happen often where the replacement of a coach is a pleasant and easy transition. As opposed to an anointment, it more often resembles a coup d'etat. The AD will be beset by hundreds of calls, some wanted and most unwanted, from people offering advice on who should coach "our" team. After all, every male over the age of 18 is an expert on football, and will gladly share his opinions. Also, rich alums long ago learned it is much easier (and significantly less expensive) to buy a college team.

The beleaguered AD has an arduous task. Yet, we offer some help with our annual look at the coaches who should be on the list every athletic director looking for a savior for their program. These men will inspire confidence in the faithful and rally the troops because they could be the next Bob Stoops, Tommy Bowden or Mack Brown.

Charlie Stubbs, QB, Alabama
After a devastating loss to Louisiana Tech last year, 'Bama head coach Mike DuBose turned the offense over to his talented QB coach and the results were spectacular. Given the Tide's offensive resurgence during the second half of 1999 and the wealth of talent back at Alabama this fall, a hot offense could produce a hot coach at year's end. Stubbs, who has served as offensive coordinator at UNLV, Oregon State, Memphis and UT-Martin, has produced prolific numbers and conference-leading passers at UNLV. He's also developed the Tide QBs Andrew Zow and Tyler Watts nicely. With another Bowl Championship Series spot in reach and a head coach who lets him get the credit, Stubbs may be spending his last year in Tuscaloosa.

Greg McMackin, AHC/DC, Texas Tech
While all of the accolades for Hawaii's nine-win season seemingly went to the offense run by coach June Jones, those in the know will tell you defensive coordinator Greg McMackin and his zone-blitz schemes were largely responsible for the miraculous turnaround. After last year, he was lured to Lubbock, Texas, by new head coach Mike Leach. Given McMackin's impressive record at Miami and Seattle (NFL), few doubt this twosome will cause headaches for Big 12 rivals. McMackin has 24 years in the coaching ranks, including time at Oregon Tech, the Miami Dolphins and the Seattle Seahawks with Dennis Erickson, Idaho, San Jose State, Stanford, the USFL's Denver Gold, Utah and Navy. Sometimes DCs get labeled as "unimaginative" on offense, and it is offensive firepower is what gets coaches hired nowadays, yet McMackin has been tutored by great offensive minds Jack Elway, Mouse Davis, Erickson, Jones and now Leach.

Jon Hoke, DC, Florida
The 2000 season will be quite a test for Hoke as the Gators will have an uncharacteristic inexperienced and likely ineffective offense. The pressure will be on Hoke's troops to lead the Gators back to the top of the SEC and he may be up to the challenge. Hoke has one of the most coveted and high profile jobs in the country and being DC at Florida, which has proven to be a springboard to a head coaching job as Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) and Bob Pruett (Marshall) can attest. Hoke survived just fine in the first post-Stoops year and with nine returning starters, he seems poised to make a name for himself.

John Thompson, DC, Arkansas
After seven years as the DC of the tough Southern Mississippi defense, Thompson left USM before the 1999 season to go to Conference USA rival Memphis. All he did there was lead the Tigers to the upper echelon of the conference in several categories, allowing a meager 16.5 ppg average (182 points all year), and three losses to SEC teams by a total of seven points (holding Ole Miss to 3 points, Miss State to 13 points, and Tennessee to 17 points). As one of the first people hired by new LSU coach Nick Saban, Thompson abruptly left for Arkansas a few days later. If he helps the Razorbacks achieve the same level of success he enjoyed in Hattiesburg and Memphis, he may be the next Hog DC to get a job, joining former Arkansas DC Keith Burns, who got the Tulsa head coaching job last year.

Rich Rodriguez, OC, Clemson
Just as we said before last season, Rodriguez should not get used to life in Death Valley. He is on his way to becoming a superstar coach. He came precariously close to becoming the head coach at Texas Tech but stayed in Clemson. While serving as Tommy Bowden's offensive coordinator at both Tulane and Clemson, he has been given full responsibility to run the offensive show (and what a show it is). His no huddle, speed up offense runs defenses ragged and creates havoc for defensive situational substitutions. Also, Rodriguez is not an untested coordinator. He was the head coach at Glenville (WV) State for seven years and was highly successful, winning four consecutive WVIAC championships, appearing in the NAIA playoffs, while rewriting school, conference and national offensive records. A 9-2 season at Clemson and he could be gone.

Steve Logan, HC, East Carolina
No coach in the nation gets more from less than Steve Logan. ECU plays in a state (North Carolina) with four other D-I teams and has to fight for players at every turn. The story of 1999 and the courageous way his ECU Pirate team handled the adversity of the devastating flood that hit the campus has been told over and over. But the bottom line is the Pirates were 9-3, and that speaks volumes of Logan's coaching ability. He has built a powerhouse in Greenville, going 51-40 with two bowl trips in eight years. His offensive philosophy is one of, if not the most, diverse in all of college football. Logan utilizes the option, one-back, two-back, two-tight end, and multiple WR schemes that put a premium on running the football with a great athlete at QB. His style has worked well and creates havoc for DCs in Conference USA. The Logan resume includes stops at Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Colorado and Mississippi State and may well need updating to a top-tier school if ECU wins the conference and nine or more games in 2000.

Mark Whipple, HC, UMass
Sometime soon, a bright AD will get it right and hire Mark Whipple this winter. If there is one sure way to capture the imagination of the press and ADs, it is turning around a losing program. UMass' Whipple has done it three times (New Haven, Brown and UMass). At each stop in his career, Whipple has taken a downtrodden program and quickly reversed its fortunes. Most recently, Whipple led UMass to the 1998 D-IAA national title in just his first year on campus. Last year his squad made the semi-finals losing to eventual national champion Georgia Southern. He is blessed with an imaginative offensive mind and his team scores lots of points (a sweet sign to ADs looking to fill seats). Let a program in a major conference fall on its face, and Whipple's name is sure to appear in the local sports headlines as the next successor. Another deep playoff run after the 2000 season and it's not "if," but "when," for Whipple.

>Mike Stoops, AHC/DC, Oklahoma
Nothing that happened last year in Norman, Okla., could have cooled off one of the hottest names in the coaching world. In fact, the Sooners 7-4 season has been celebrated as a step in the right direction for the once proud and dominant program. Mike is the next brother in the Stoops dynasty of coaches. He has the right last name to grab that attention of an AD in need of a media darling. In addition to his last name, Stoops has an excellent pedigree to accompany his bloodlines, as he was a former All-American DB at Iowa who also coached at Iowa and K-State. From 1996-98, he was the defensive coordinator for the Kansas State, a team that was at or near the top of virtually every defensive statistical category. Stoops is a hell fire and brimstone hard-nosed coach who earns the respect, praise and admiration of his players.

Mark Richt, OC, Florida State
Go undefeated and win the national championship and your name makes the rounds real quick. Mark Richt, long rumored to be the heir-apparent to Bobby Bowden, is poised to get hot if the Seminoles repeat as champs. He has spent six years as the offensive coordinator and 14 years as the QB coach at FSU. There is no doubt that being associated with the most successful program in the nation over the last decade has made Richt's name prominent on many a short list for head coaching jobs. To date, he has declined the big money and challenge of a rebuilding job, preferring to stay in Tallahassee to enhance his resume. Many experts feel he is better off to stay put, rather than potentially decrease his stock by risking a losing record while in the midst of a rebuilding project. The only issue here is whether he is simply fortunate to have a bevy of Parade all-Americans each year or is he an offensive mastermind.

Jeff Tedford, OC, Oregon
Two year's ago everyone had one question: "How does an unknown QB go from an also-ran to the top of the NFL draft?" The answer: Jeff Tedford. The Oregon OC is given a great deal of much-deserved credit for tutoring Akili Smith, the 4th pick in the 1999 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Last year, with all eyes on him to see what he would do for an encore, Tedford used two relatively unknown and inexperienced QBs to keep the Ducks' offense humming, as the two QBs were in the top six in the PAC 10 in passing efficiency, combining for 220 completions on 417 attempts, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. You cannot buy this type of positive press, and nothing gets administrators and fans as excited as an offensive whiz kid. Expect Tedford to be a hot commodity because his head coach, Mike Bellotti, seems happy to stay at Oregon and program builders will look for the next best thing.

Manny Matsakis, AHC/ST, Texas Tech
After a record-setting tenure as the head coach at D-II Emporia State (1995-98), rewriting the D-II and MIAA offensive record books and a 1999 season that saw him lead the Wyoming offense from worst to first in the Mountain West Conference in one year, Matsakis now takes his considerable skills to Texas Tech as assistant coach. He is responsible for the oversight of the special teams, the $100 million facility renovation and the infrastructure of the program. If TTU gets it going, his input and help will get him recognized. A Bill Snyder disciple who served two stints with the K-State legend, Matsakis also was the OC at Hofstra for three years, breaking every school passing and total offense record and coaching current New York Jets' wide receiver Wayne Chrebet.

Dennis Franchione, HC, Texas Christian
Coach Franchione is already viewed as a program builder after winning 128 games in 17 seasons. He built competitive teams at New Mexico, Southwest Texas and had a dominating five-year run at Pittsburg (Kas.) State (53-6, .898). He has led TCU to a 15-9 record and two bowl game wins in his two seasons with the Horned Frogs. This year he could be looking at an 11-0 regular season, which will only serve to enhance his reputation. His expertise is in running the option and instilling confidence in his troops. He has a proven system for program management, providing a huge plus to a struggling AD. TCU is poised to win the WAC this year and join Conference USA in 2001. He is making the big money in Ft. Worth, so only a really big-time program would entice him. Can you see him in South Bend, coaching Notre Dame?

Tony Samuel, HC, New Mexico State
This 18-year veteran of the Nebraska Big Red machine as a player, volunteer and full-time assistant performed somewhat of a miracle in Las Cruces, N.M., last year in leading the Aggies to only their second winning season (6-5) in 21 years. Throw in a 3rd place finish in conference and wins against Arizona State and New Mexico, and Samuels' 1999 season was a success. With many starters returning and talented replacements behind them (the results of good recruiting), Samuels has the NMSU team on the verge of its first back-to-back winning seasons in more than 30 years (1966 and '67). If he can compete for or win the Big West title and maybe beat Lou Holtz's South Carolina team in the Aggies' season opener, look for ADs to take notice and learn the quickest way to charter a jet to Las Cruces. Even though he was rewarded with a four-year contract extension, there will be almost no stopping his departure if a Big 12 school comes calling.

Paul Johnson, HC, Georgia Southern
The 1999 season ended for Paul Johnson with a 59-24 victory against Youngstown State for the D-IAA national championship, capping Johnson's three years at the helm of the GSU Eagles. His record is almost unbelievable (37-6), and 2000 may be his best team yet. Not even legendary Erk Russell, the father of the GSU legends, can match Johnson's impressive start. The Eagles have been a force on offense under Johnson, averaging 50 points per game last year (ranking 1st in scoring, rushing and total offense), but this should come as no surprise considering the fact Johnson was a record-shattering OC at Navy prior to taking the Georgia Southern job. In two years at Navy, his offense broke five school records and ranked fifth in rushing in 1996 en route to an 8-3 record. Before his time at Navy, Johnson was at Hawaii for eight years, where six of his eight units finished in the top 20 in scoring, rushing and total offense. He knows how to recruit to a tough place (Navy) and his teams practically score at will. He will get his share of calls from ADs, but it is more than surprising that the Army AD Rick Greenspan did not call last year after unceremoniously dumping Bob Sutton. In a couple of years, he'll realize he should have.

Gary Pinkel, HC, Toledo
Finishing the 1999 season strong by defeating eventual MAC West Division champ Western Michigan and having 20 starters returning this year makes Toledo a program to watch this fall. Pinkel is the winningest active coach in MAC history at his respective school and has more wins than any coach in Toledo football history (63). By the end of the year, he may have his choice in what job he wants next. Pinkel has led the Rockets to a MAC championship (1995), two West Division titles (1997, 98), and a bowl game (the Las Vegas Bowl in 1995) during his nine-year tenure at Toledo. The Rockets have shown offensive firepower under Pinkel, which is not surprising considering his years at the University of Washington when he tutored future NFL QBs Chris Chandler, Cary Conklin, Hugh Millen, Mark Brunell, and Billy Joe Hobert in the high-octane Huskie attacks of the 1980s.

Gary Darnell, HC, W. Michigan
The 1999 season produced offensive firepower thanks to record-setting QB Tim Lester, a MAC West Division title and a heartbreaking 34-30 loss to Marshall in the MAC title game. These facts did not go unnoticed nationally and Darnell is starting to receive acclaim for his reclamation project in Kalamazoo. A coach with a great pedigree, including stops at Texas, Notre Dame, and Florida as a defensive coordinator and a three-year stint as head coach at Tennessee Tech, Darnell has been very effective in his three years at Western Michigan (22-12). The things that have made some of the big boys take notice include WMU setting all-time attendance records, alumni giving increases, facility improvements and his recruiting efforts that are paying off. A staff overhaul, the result of other schools hiring away his coaches, will be a challenge this season.

Mickey Matthews, HC, James Madison
With more than 20 years of college coaching experience, Matthews made JMU administrators look smart in his first year as a head coach at any level. He directed the Dukes to an 8-4 record, earned a playoff spot and a share of the Atlantic 10 title. This year he has 15 returning starters, who are now more familiar with his systems, and JMU may go deep in the D-IAA playoffs. He has great experience in the college ranks serving at K-State, West Texas State, Houston, TCU, SW Texas State, Marshall, Georgia and most recently as the DC at Baylor. He is best known for his closeness to Georgia coach Jim Donnan, with whom he spent six years at Marshall and UGA. If he gets eight or more wins this year, his resume may look attractive to a D-I AD looking for a coach's coach.

Jack Bicknell III, HC, La Tech
Beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa made people stand up and take notice of this son of a famous coaching father (Jack, Jr. is the current head coach of NFL Europe Barcelona Dragons and formerly of Boston College fame). Bicknell III was in his first year taking over for current Chicago Bear OC Gary Crowton and inherited a pretty good stable of players including QB Tim Rattay. Yet, Bicknell did more than keep the ship afloat. He led Tech to an impressive 8-3 campaign. This season Bicknell faces a challenge with road games at Penn State, Hawaii, Auburn, Kansas State and Miami. If La. Tech gets a win in one of these games or at least plays all of them close, there may be seven wins on the schedule. That being said, Tech will capture the attention of the nation because the Bulldogs are going to put up points with their pass-heavy offense. He is glib, articulate and has been around football his entire life. He knows how the college game works and is a star on the rise.

Dirk Koetter, HC, Boise State
After 13 years as an OC at five different schools (San Francisco State, UTEP, Missouri, Boston College, and Oregon), Dirk Koetter was handed the reins of the Boise State program in 1998 after Houston Nutt bolted for Arkansas. Koetter was coming off of a successful stint as OC at Oregon, under the talented Mike Bellotti, where his balanced offense set the OU single-season record for TD passes (28) and had the first Duck to lead the PAC 10 in rushing. Last season, Koetter lead BSU to a 10-3 record, a Humanitarian Bowl victory over heavily favored Louisville and the Big West title. With 16 wins in two seasons and a 2000 squad that appears as strong if not stronger than 1999, he may well follow Nutt to a top 25 program needing a renovation.

Ralph Freidgen, OC, Georgia Tech
There's not much more this coach can accomplish to improve his resume and get a chance to run his own program. He devised the offensive schemes for Georgia Tech's talented QB Joe Hamilton that caused nightmares for opposing DCs for the past three years. Anyone who watched the brilliant crossing patterns, motion and underneath routes that Freidgen used against Florida State last year saw this man knows how to coach. The real test will come this year without Hamilton. If the Ramblin' Wreck keep putting up points and numbers without Hamilton, it will prove it is the system, and not the player, that makes the Yellow Jacket's offense work ... and ADs feel very comfortable with systems. Many believe he has been the object of a form of discrimination due to the fact he does not fit the favored appearance of what a head coach should look like. ADs need to wise up as NFL coaches Mike Holmgren (Seattle), Bill Parcells (New York Jets front office), Dennis Green (Minnesota) and Andy Reid (Philadelphia) hardly look like body-builders. Freidgen fits all of the criteria of a HC and he's as articulate and witty as they get to boot.

Pat Hill, HC, Fresno St.
The 1999 season was a great one for Fresno State ... the team's first winning season in five years (8-5), the first bowl game since 1993 and a share of the WAC crown. The Bulldogs have made great strides in three years under the dynamic Hill. The program is one of the movers and shakers in D-I. Thanks to improved facilities and recruiting, Hill has this team headed in the right direction. In-state coaches seem to love this former NFL assistant as the Bulldogs have harvested from the talent-laden California programs. The 2000 season provides opportunities nationally to showcase the growth of Fresno State, with games against Ohio State, UCLA, California and TCU. If Hill can steal two or three of these, Fresno State can finish in the Top 25. This former Bulldog recruiting coordinator/assistant from 1984-89 also spent time as the OC at the University of Arizona and in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens. He has built a solid foundation and may not want to leave and has said,"This is the only job I have ever wanted." But that will not keep aggressive, smart ADs from calling Hill.

Others to Watch

Noel Mazzone, OC, Auburn (... if Tommy Tuberville gets the Tigers going, ADs will want a piece of the OC who's been there with him at Ole Miss and Auburn...);

Ricky Hunley, AHC/LB Missouri (... a great recruiter and technician, his time is coming, but a down season at Mizzou may derail the train...);

Robbie Bosco, QB, Brigham Young (... highly thought of by those who know the passing game, with the emphasis on throwing the ball throughout the nation, an AD may call soon...);

Phil Bennett, DC, Kansas State (... the K-State DC job has been a good one for moving ahead and with 2000 expected to be another huge year, Bennett may get a chance to move on...);

Mel Tjeerdsma, HC, Northwest Missouri State (... two national championships and dominating the MIAA, only his age keeps him from being a D-I head coach, but it shouldn't...);

Bill Cubit, OC, Missouri (... a great offensive mind who has done it as HC at Widener and as OC at Western Michigan, his offense lit up UF last year...);

Al Borges, OC, UCLA (... two years ago no team could touch the red-hot UCLA offense. If the Bruins return to prominence, he re-enters the head coaching race...);

Mick Dennehy, HC, Utah State (... coming off of a great run at Montana, he's a big-time passing wizard. This is a tough place to win, yet it can be a springboard ... just ask John L. Smith...);

Jimbo Fisher, OC, LSU (... one of new LSU head coach Nick Saban's most crucial hires, Fisher is well-respected by the Bowden family and will get credit if the Tiger offense has any success...);

Chris Tormey, HC, Nevada (... a really good coach, his highly successful stint at Idaho gets him the Reno job, but it may throw his bright future into a tailspin...);

Turner Gill, QB, Nebraska (... a great name, a great school, and with a possible national title in sight, a great time to be an expert in the option game and it always helps to be associated with winners...);

Dan Dodd, OC, New Mexico (...Franchione's OC at TCU returns to New Mexico, if he gets the Lobos back on track, he could get some of the credit...);

Bud Foster, DC, Virginia Tech (... the Hokies made a mad dash for the title last year and show few signs of slowing down. The defense has been the lynch pin at Virginia Tech and he is the mastermind of the defense. Foster turned down Spurrier two years ago...);

Mike Vaught, OC, Navy (... teams looking for an option style coach need look no further than Annapolis, if the Middies can get back to a bowl game, he gets a shot...);

Jim Chaney, OC, Purdue (... you can't get Tiller without the huge bucks, so why not get his No. 1 play caller, he's been with Tiller seven years at Wyoming and Purdue...);

Willie Fritz, HC, Central Missouri State (... he won big at Blinn (TX) Junior College and now he's getting it done at Central Missouri. He knows how to win, knows where to find talent and could be the next Hal Mumme...);

Randy Sanders, OC, Tennessee (... big wins and big numbers will get you noticed, the young OC took over after Cutcliffe went to Ole Miss and the Vols have not missed a beat...);

Jeff Bower, HC, Southern Mississippi (... a good coach who gets calls every year, but unless the call is coming from Tuscaloosa, Athens or South Bend, he may well decide to be a lifer at his alma mater...);

Jim Caldwell, HC, Wake Forest (... last year he performed the miraculous, getting the Demon Deacons into a bowl game. If he wins again this year after losing many starters, the ex-Schnellenberger and ex-Paterno assistant will be high on all lists...);

Terry Bowden, former head coach, Auburn (... not only the name will sell, but the record at Auburn was good enough to deserve consideration. The Pettys drive race cars and the Bowdens coach football...);

Ron Turner, HC, Illinois (...hats off to the Illinois administration for sticking with him. He is headed for the NFL with a 10-win season and he has the players to consistently compete if he doesn't leave...);

Butch Davis, HC, Miami (... he has restored the tradition and has a treasure chest of star-quality players at his disposal, a serious title run in 2000 and he's in the NFL by January...);

Bob Pruett, HC, Marshall (... the record speaks for itself, he's had overtures from a number of schools, but he is home, maybe the "right" job would get him to leave his comfort-zone...);

Jim Leavitt, HC, South Florida (... another Bill Snyder student, he has done a great job of getting South Florida respectable quickly taking the program from its birth to the threshold of D-I ... most doubt he will leave...);

Joe Glenn, HC, Montana (... only his first year with the Grizzlies, but his record at Northern Colorado winning two national championships was outstanding, he has the tools to maybe win a D-IAA title this year and ADs will notice that...);

Greg Davis, OC, Texas (... Mack Brown is getting him the players and his units are putting up numbers, if the Applewhite and Simms debate does not tear the season apart and the Longhorns make a title run, he may get another chance to run his own team...);

David Gibbs, DC, Minnesota (... nothing gets more attention than a perennial doormat stepping up and last year, Minnesota captured the nation with much of the credit going to this bright young DC. If the Gophers run through the Big Ten again, he may be gone...);

Tim Lappano, OC, Oregon State (... he's been schooled by Tiller and Erickson, he knows how to throw the ball and that creates interest, as does turning around the Oregon State program...)

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